Epilogue
Next Christmas
Isla
“ H ello, perverts.”
I sweep inside the familiar gallery room in the old wing of Starlight Summit’s venue, throwing a wink toward the wall of oil-painted onlookers. Their judgmental eyes stare back at me like they remember last year’s encounter.
I certainly do.
Vividly.
Theo shuts the door behind us. “They’re technically innocent unless we force them to partake in depravity.”
Arching a brow, I walk backward to the center of the room. “Unless or until?”
“Get your mind out of the gutter. I brought you to this conveniently isolated, dimly lit corner of town history for one reason only.” Laughing under his breath, he extends a hand. “A sweet, chaste dance.”
“Is that so?” I set my clutch on a nearby shelf and slide into his waiting arms without hesitation.
A year into our relationship, and gravity still hasn’t loosened its grip.
He hugs me tightly against him, chin coming to rest on top of my head as my cheek seeks out the steady rhythm of his pulse.
His heart is my home.
Always has been. Always will be.
Too high on each other to need any music, we sway in the hush of dust and decay while snowflakes blow lazily past the tall, frost-rimmed windows.
He dips his head to whisper in my ear. “Have I told you how stunning you look yet?” His breath is cool mint, but it scorches my skin.
“Only about a hundred times.” I put on a fake sigh. “Guess I’ll allow a few more.”
“This dress is…” His voice lowers, turning gravelly. He leans back just far enough to rake his gaze down my body. One hand skims the flare of my hip. The other trails lower in a possessive stroke. “An act of war. A full-body siege.”
Sienna’s family is back with their annual Christmas Eve gala. No fancy weddings on the horizon this year, but the fashion stakes remain high. I’m wrapped in a floor-length champagne gown that shimmers like sunshine on snow. Theo is a tux-clad fantasy come to life.
“Notice I opted for fewer strings this year?” I roll my hips teasingly .
“Oh, I noticed.” He smirks, palming my ass. “And I plan to exploit every inch of that easy access later tonight.”
“Later? Ugh .” I pout, then twist in his arms. My back presses flush to his front, and I grind against him in a shameless arc.
I bite back a moan when his hand splays across my stomach, then slides higher to cup my breast and tease my nipple. As soon as his mouth connects with my neck, it takes all of two seconds for his tongue and teeth to liquify my bones.
Theo isn’t unaffected, either. His erection presses deeper with every rock of our bodies.
“I brought you here for an innocent dance,” he murmurs against my throat, “but now all I can think about are those sweet cries you made while straddling my face last year.”
“I swore off scandalizing the artwork.” After a beat, I add, “In fact, I swore off Starlight Summit at Christmas.”
“Yeah, well…” Theo plants a kiss on my temple. “I swore off a lot of things. Like happiness. But look at me now.” His heart pounds into my spine. “I know we weren’t supposed to, but I made a wish last year.”
I turn my head to smile up at him. “Me too.”
“What did you wish for?”
“Forever.”
His eyes warm. “Same. My gift this year…” Lungs filling with air, he holds his breath for a long moment before speaking. “The theme is also…” He clears his throat. “Permanence.”
My feet falter, but his strong arms keep me from falling.
“What do you think?” He spins me to face him. “Up for taking a peek?”
“At forever?”
A warm grin splits his face. “I thought we could start here.” He stops to reach into his pocket for a tiny jewelry box.
Much too small to contain a ring .
Months ago, that might’ve made me breathe easier. Now, a strange flutter of disappointment stirs under my ribs.
I want nothing more than an eternity with this man.
“Open it,” he says.
Retrieving the box from his hand, I lift the lid, and—freeze.
Inside is a delicate pendant shaped like an old-fashioned key. It’s similar to the tiny replica of the town key Theo gifted me on Valentine’s Day.
Except, this one is even more familiar.
“Is this…?” My voice breaks off. “Theo, is this—my key?”
A miniature version of the key to my childhood home glints in my palm. I’d recognize it anywhere by the stars my mother had engraved on the bow.
“I don’t understand,” I say, frowning.
Theo clasps his hand over mine, trapping the jewelry between us. “The family who bought it from you is relocating across the country for work. They remembered your story and are open to a private sale.”
My breath stutters.
I’d given up hope of ever again walking those halls.
But now…
“I’m thinking of taking a step back at the firm,” he says.
“We’ve brought on some new partners, and I want to shift my focus to longer-term campaigns that allow for more time at home.
” He lifts my hand—the one still firmly clutching the pendant—and presses a kiss to my knuckles.
“If you’re interested, I want that home to be with you. ”
Words catch in my throat as a tsunami of emotions rips through me, sweeping away my ability to form a single coherent sentence.
“For once, I can’t tell what you’re thinking, Sunshine.
” He squeezes my hand. “Just know I didn’t do anything as impulsive as making an offer.
I want us to take that next step together.
” His thumb brushes a tear from my cheek, coming to rest at the curve of my jaw.
“And if the idea of living there hurts too much, we can look at other properties. No pressure. I just thought—if we’re heading toward forever , maybe we should find a place to put it. ”
When I don’t reply, he ducks his head to meet my gaze. “ Hey . I’m right here. Breathe.”
My hand drifts to my sternum. “I think my heart stopped beating.”
“In a good way, I hope?” he asks with a questioning softness so far removed from his usual stoic confidence.
“In the best way. Now I just have to decide whether to beg you to hold me while I bawl or hand over the gift I got you.”
“I can do both. I can do it all, Isla.”
We stay like that until our heartbeats fall into a steady sync.
“Once again, our gifts match,” I murmur.
“Matching gifts? Oh, no . What will we do with all the houses?”
“Not quite a house,” I say. “But it fits the theme of home .” Slipping from his arms, I retrieve my clutch, hands trembling as I pull out the ornament I made last week. “Ready?”
Because I am. So very ready.
When I turn back to Theo, I don’t see a mere man.
I see my entire future.
The rest of my life flashes before my eyes.
Christmas at home—whatever walls may contain us.
The laughter of his— our —family echoing through every room.
Mundane mornings working side-by-side with our feet brushing beneath the table.
Afternoons where our creative worlds blend into one.
Evenings that start with takeout and end in soul-baring talks.
Never-ending nights of toe-curling pleasure .
Love and legacy.
But more than that? Peace .
Ordinary, simple peace.
“Here.” I place the wooden ornament holding my heart into his outstretched hand. “Maybe we can hang it next to the others.”
This year—and forever after.
The piece is a tiny replica of the Sugarpine Springs bridge, complete with our initials. The very same ones I’d carved seven years ago, and he’d brought back to life last Christmas.
“Flip it around,” I instruct. “There’s something on the back.”
He turns it over, gingerly displaying it on his palm.
Marry me.
The expression that crosses Theo’s face when he sees the etching is disarming. His awe crashes into me like a freight train wrapped in fairy lights.
“Holy fuck , Isla.”
“Well, that’s a reaction.”
He continues staring at it. The seconds drag, and my nerves hum under the quiet.
When he finally speaks, what he says catches me completely off guard. “Was the top part of the question mark too hard to carve?”
“Rude.” I swat his arm. “I’m perfectly capable, thank you very much. Have you forgotten you’re in the presence of a big deal small town designer?”
In a surprising turn of events, a project I did for the children’s wing of the Sugarpine Springs Library went viral.
Once Upon a Springs was designed to highlight local folklore and fairy tales, but the display reached far beyond our little town. I’ve since been inundated with requests from various other places to help bring the same kind of celebratory attention to their forgotten legends and lore.
“Anyway, the punctuation is correct,” I assure him. “It’s not a question.”
“So bossy, Sunshine.”
“Thought I’d give your need for control a night off,” I tease. “Plus, I knew you weren’t ever going to propose.”
He opens his mouth to protest, but I hold up my hand.
“Not because you don’t want to marry me. But—just like with our I love you —I know you want me fully in charge of the how and the when . You would’ve waited for forever if that’s what I needed.”
For a man so dominant in the bedroom, he’s remarkably tender with my heart. Never pushing nor rushing my healing, he simply holds space for my feelings.
Between therapy and Theo, I’ve become someone who doesn’t just face the future. I embrace it.
“I would’ve waited,” he says. “But I wanted it. Every day.”
“I know. Because that’s the kind of man you are, Theo. You never demanded my heart, but you cared for it like it was already yours. Instead of trying to erase my scars, you respected them. You gave me power when I didn’t believe I deserved it.”
I rise onto my toes to cup his face. “I want to give you forever in return.”
“ Isla …I’m honored. Truly.” He bends down and claims my lips in a deep, sensual kiss. When we break apart, he adds, “Also— yes . To forever. To us. To all of it.”
“Once again, not a question.” I nip at his bottom lip. “You don’t get a choice.”
He brushes his knuckles along my cheek. “You know we’ll have to do this again in front of the family, right? The nosy bastards will disown us if they don’t get to take part in the proposal.”
I groan. “Does that mean I’ll be forced to flex my nonexistent acting skills again?”
“I mean, you could always be the one on your knees. I’ll try my best to look surprised at finding you in that position.” He tilts his head, voice dipping lower. “Should we rehearse your proposal in front of the portraits?”
I press my smile to his lips. “I don’t know. Would you consider us on equal footing now?”
He doesn’t miss a beat. “I’ll spend the rest of my life putting you on a pedestal. But for the sake of below-the-belt diplomacy? Hell yes . Absolutely. We’re equals. Feel free to descend whenever you’re ready.”
“You’ve officially lost your mind.” Even as I grumble the words, my cheeks ache from grinning.
“Why don’t you help me find it? Start by looking under my zipper.”
Groaning, I push against his chest.
“Wait. Let me try that again.” He clears his throat with dramatic flair. “I may have lost my mind, but you helped me find my heart, Isla Ever Green-Thorne.”
“How are you legally allowed to work in advertising? Also, there’s no way I’d be foolish enough to hyphenate our names! Mine is punny enough on its own, thank you very much.”
We burst into laughter as the clock begins to chime midnight. Twelve slow, echoing bells fill the room.
By the last ring, Theo’s entire body is wrapped around mine, holding tight, as if intent on never letting go.
“Merry Christmas, Isla. We finally got it right.”
“Only took us how many years? ”
“The perfect amount.” A soft kiss lands on the crown of my head. “I love you, my Sunshine Soulmate.”
I smile up at him, heart full, eyes brimming with happy tears. “I love you, too, my Christmas Nightmare-Turned-Dream-Come-True.”
His bewildered “What?” makes it clear I’ve got some explaining to do.
Good thing forever lies ahead.